


The Cheater's Pot

by CMA6725, Cuidadora



Category: Zorro (TV 1990)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27557281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMA6725/pseuds/CMA6725, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuidadora/pseuds/Cuidadora
Summary: Just a rather short adventure story in which Bishop had not learned his lesson, Ramon Escalante came to Los Angeles to see his wounded sister, and Zorro helped the youngest Escalante give a lesson to a certain, already-mentioned swindler. Set a few weeks after the events in Broken Heart, Broken Mask.Enjoy!
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of the NWZ pantheon. I do own the OCs in this story and the ideas for the plot. I do not make any money from it, write and publish just for fun, but the partial or complete reproduction of the story is not allowed without my express consent. The use of the OCs can be granted after slight negotiation.

Despite all the hardship and traumas which had marked his life, Ramon Escalante had always managed to keep his good humor, and had been a pleasant company for all those who met him. He was a kind young man, maybe a bit mischievous, but never ill-intended, always willing to help others and patient in his dealings with them.

However, at that exact moment, the people in the stagecoach he had boarded in San Diego, less than forty hour earlier, could barely stand him.

Shortly after boarding the coach, he began the irritating habit of checking his pocket watch every half hour and afterwards sighing dramatically. He had not shaved in days and his appearance could at best be described as disheveled. Totally out of character, he was short-tempered, responding both curtly and reluctantly to questions. His own questions were mostly limited to how long it would take them to reach Los Angeles.

His entire demeanor made his three fellow passengers consider him a dangerous man, especially when they glimpsed the two pistols he wore, partly hidden under his vest. They felt uncomfortable near him and tried to sit as far away from him as possible, even more so since he hadn't adequately washed in over a week.

He was fidgety throughout the ride, worse when they made their infrequent stops, stayed to himself during their meals and breaks, and was always the first back at the coach, pacing agitatedly near it until the other passengers strolled in. They were sure that if it had been up to him, there would have been no stops until Los Angeles, the physiological needs of both humans and horses be damned.

Ramon had good reasons to be in a hurry, though: his sister had been shot and, as per the letter he had received from his father's friend, Don Alejandro de la Vega, she came close to losing her life. That was why, considering the tone of the letter, which was by no means very encouraging, Ramon took all his savings and boarded the first ship to California. Once in San Diego, which was the ship's last stop before returning south, he had been lucky to get the last seat on the stagecoach for Los Angeles the same day he had arrived in the port.

They were finally nearing the pueblo, only five miles separating them from their destination, when they hit a long and rather deep mud puddle broke a wheel. A lot of luck and the driver's quick thinking barely prevented a serious accident.

The only female passenger, a rather buxom widow, fell towards Ramon as the stagecoach abruptly stopped. Instinctively he reached for her, but soon realized his mistake. The woman was twice his size and the last thing he wanted was for her to end up squashing him, at the same time compromising their modesty if not also their reputations. He inwardly shuddered at the fleeting thought of being forced to marry the huge older woman, who he would have kindly described as homely. Pushing that fear out of his mind, he had only a split second to find the best place to place his hands to prevent her fall. He knew he had to avoid her ample bosoms, so reached for her, keeping his hands in plain sight and grabbing what he hoped were her shoulders. Rather than trying to completely stop her fall, he concentrated on easing her to the floor as gently as he could.

"Are you injured, Señora?" he softly asked, in a concerned tone that none of the passengers expected of him given his behavior.

"No, Señor. Gracias," she gratefully acknowledged his help.

He rapidly checked on the other passengers to be sure they had no serious injuries, then he concentrated on finding the safest way to exit the coach, which was now tilted somewhat on its side after losing part of its front left wheel.

Only moments later, they first heard, then saw four bandits wearing bandanas to cover the lower half of their faces came down from behind the nearby hills, two attacking from the left and two from the right, all pointing their pistols at the coach. Ramon didn't particularly worry about the bandits, having only a small amount of money left on him and little luggage, but he was quite upset with being detained by the men.

Without much consideration for his life, as the Escalante he was, he drew his pistols and exited through the left door of the coach in a hurry, just as a bullet flew by him, barely missing his hip and slightly grazing his sash to plant itself in the stagecoach's door.

Trying to aim accurately from horseback is not an easy feat to achieve. Ramon smiled inwardly.

Pointing one of his guns at the bandit who had taken the shot, he managed to disarm him, the impact from the wound he had caused to his shoulder unsaddling the man who hit the ground hard and remained there. The other gun he then pointed towards one of the three remaining brigands, yet missed.

"My turn!" The thug said, aiming his gun at Ramon's chest.

"I think not!" The bandit heard a confident voice from behind him as a lasso fell around his body and rapidly tightened round his torso, binding his arms and causing him to drop his gun. Black leather gloves pulled him to the ground and tied the end of the rope around a black stallion's saddle horn, as a man dressed all in black, a mask hiding the upper half of his face, jumped down from the horse, taking out his whip in one hand and a Toledo-steel sword in the other.

The two remaining bandits coming down the hill on the right side of the coach still had loaded guns which they rapidly aimed at Zorro. The masked outlaw ducked the first bullet headed his way and disarmed the other bandit with his whip. The first of the two bandits tried to hit him with his already useless gun, but his aim was faulty at best and his throw rather weak. So, instead of hitting his intended target, the gun flew into Zorro's hand as if planned.

"Gracias, Señor, but I don't really have much use for guns!" The masked man uttered just before he threw the pistol back, hitting his wannabe attacker in the face, the strength of the blow unsaddling him.

The last bandit still mounted drew his sword and charged. Zorro ducked and passed under the lasso still attached to Tornado on one end and the bandit on the other, avoiding the obstacle they made. The fourth thug's mount stopped his pursuit abruptly after almost stumbling upon it, causing his rider to unwillingly fly over the horses head as he performed the jump his mount had wisely refused. He landed straight into a nearby boulder, which left him unconscious with a broken arm and a concussion.

As Zorro checked that the man was still alive, the third bandit, who had found the gun which had fallen from the hands of his lassoed compadre, fired at him. Ramon, noticing his intention at the last moment, warned Zorro, who ducked in the nick of time, and the bullet found its resting place in the already-broken arm of the unconscious thug.

Reacting fast, the black-clad man got up and, hurrying towards the shooter, he pulled him up and punched the bandit, who was now frozen in fear, using the hilt of his sword to send him to a peaceful, although, temporary, rest.

"Were you harmed?" He asked Ramon as he turned around towards him.

"No, Señor." He replied checking it was so.

"Well, it seems I now have two Escalates to whom I owe my life." Zorro mentioned with a smile.

"You know who I am?" Ramon questioned.

"I do, indeed." Zorro replied. "Allow me to introduce myself…"

"There's no need, Señor Zorro. My sister always spoke very highly of you in her letters. As for saving your life, I think you've saved mine first, so let's just say we are even."

The black-clad man acknowledged it with a nod.

"Do you have news of Victoria?" Ramon wondered as the masked outlaw started tying up the bandits.

"Victoria woke up a week after she was shot, and her condition has been constantly improving. She is still at the De la Vega hacienda, but intends to return to the tavern within the next few days."

"She's out of danger then? That's a relief, Señor." Ramon uttered as his entire mood suddenly changed.

"Zorro… for friends." He replied with a sly smile.

"Ramon!" The younger man stated, offering his hand, which the taller man shook gladly.

"Would you care to help me with these bandits?" The masked man asked as he started decorating their clothes with his mark.

"Is Los Angeles far from here?" The bulky woman timidly asked from the stagecoach, as her head came into view from the floor where she cowered since the stagecoach had stopped.

"About five miles, Señora." Zorro replied as the driver came down.

"Gracias, Señor Zorro! You saved our lives!" The man said.

"All in a day's work, amigo," The outlaw replied with a grin as he proceeded to mount the bandits on their horses with Ramon's help, "but I doubt you will be continuing the trip very soon." He concluded as he took a look at the wheel and axle, now clearly needing the blacksmith's skills before the stagecoach could be used.

"No… I doubt we will. This wheel needs replacing." The driver agreed, scratching his head, after a thorough examination of the damages.

"I suggest you all wait here until we can warn the garrison in Los Angeles to send a wagon to escort you safely to the pueblo." Zorro told the passengers in the coach and their driver. "Señor, since I might need some help with these men, I'd appreciate it if you'd take one of their horses and accompany me." He added, addressing Ramon, as he placed the last bandit on the same horse with one of his cohorts. "Not to mention the Alcalde will be more inclined to listen to your account about what had happened than mine. He's never been very fond of our conversations."

ZZZ

The same morning, Alcalde Luis Ramone was pacing his office while looking over the mail he had just received from Monterey.

"Mendoza!" He yelled after re-reading a letter from the governor.

"Si, mi Alcalde!" The man said as he hurriedly entered the office.

"Do you know what this is?" He demanded as he handed his man the letter.

"It says here that the Governor is sending an investigator to find out more about allegations having been brought against you about encouraging the activity of criminal elements in the pueblo." Mendoza summarized after spending several minutes reading it while the Alcalde kept pacing.

"Congratulations, Mendoza, you can read! But do you actually understand what this means? It means the Governor intends to hold me personally responsible for your failure in capturing Zorro!"

"But, Alcalde, don't you think this might be because of what that gambler, Señor Bishop, told Zorro before he left?"

"Of course not, Sergeant! There was never any proof that I supported Bishop's actions in any way, since, naturally, I never did. Zorro is this pueblo's only and major criminal plague, and the spot on my perfect record of service. From now on, I want you to redouble your efforts to catch him! Starting tomorrow at dawn, you and your men will patrol the countryside and check every hacienda, every farmhouse, every cave and every… foxhole for that masked menace! You have one week to find him or I'll cut all your pay by half!"

"But half my pay is only twenty pesos a month!" Mendoza squealed worriedly. "I will not even be able to afford meals at the tavern anymore!"

"Then I suggest you find Zorro by the end of the week! Am I clear, Mendoza? I want him hanged by the time the Governor's investigator gets here!"

"Si, Alcalde!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Ramon!" Victoria exclaimed, throwing herself into her cleaned-up and freshly-shaved brother's arms when Diego, who had opened the door, invited him inside.

"Welcome back, Ramon!" Don Alejandro offered him his hand as soon as Victoria let go of him. "We are happy to see you!"

"We most certainly are!" Diego confirmed signaling for his friend to head towards the dining room. "Just in time for dinner!" He remarked.

"I would not have been here at all, were it not for Zorro!" The younger man stated.

"Zorro?" Diego pretended to be confused. "What did he do this time?"

"Saved my skin, that's what. I can understand why you are so fond of him, Sister, although I still wished you hadn't jumped in front of that bullet, even for him. We almost lost you!"

"Well… I don't regret it one bit. In fact, I would do it again, if I had to!" She declared. "Zorro has saved so many people, so many times, risking his own life while doing so! I would have gladly sacrificed mine if that meant he'd continue to help those who need him!"

"But, Victoria, Zorro was gone all the time while you were ill. I doubt he would find the reason to keep riding were his actions to put you in anymore danger, just as I doubt he will ever forgive himself for what you've been through." Diego pointed out.

"He has nothing to forgive himself for, Diego! He neither shot that bullet, nor put me in its way. It was my decision and I, for one, will never regret being my hero's hero for once!"

Diego smiled lovingly at her just as Felipe came into the room to inform them that the dinner was ready.

ZZZ

"I'll surely miss having Victoria around." Don Alejandro murmured the next morning as Felipe drove the carriage taking the Escalantes back to the pueblo, while the old don and Diego were mounting their horses to follow them.

"So will I, Father!" Diego agreed, pensively looking towards the retreating carriage. "So will I."

"This house needs a woman's touch, Son! You really should consider marrying."

"All at the right time, Father." Diego said with a smile, steering his golden mare towards the pueblo, closely followed by the old don.

ZZZ

The tavern was quite animated that evening, when the De la Vegas came to check on Victoria and have dinner. Ramon had insisted that she take an hour's rest after she had spent several hours on her feet busily cooking. Now that the taproom was full, he was taking orders and helping Pilar serve the tables, just as he had done before he first left Los Angeles.

The two older men smiled and greeted him, and he promised to be with them in a few minutes. Looking around, they noticed Sergeant Mendoza sitting alone at a table.

"Good evening, Sergeant!" Don Alejandro greeted. "May we join you?"

"Si, Don Alejandro, Don Diego!" The man replied.

"Why the long face, Sergeant?" Diego asked at noticing his friend was not in a very good mood.

"Because I will miss the Señorita's food, Don Diego."

"Miss her food? Why? She just returned! Or are you planning to leave Los Angeles?" Don Alejandro wondered.

"No… It's just that I won't have the money to buy food here anymore…"

"Why not?"

"Because the Alcalde said he would cut all our pay by half unless we catch Zorro by the end of the week. Zorro is impossible to catch! So adios tamales, adios enchiladas…"

"I'm sure you needn't be so discouraged, Sergeant! Surely you'll be able to afford at least a few meals here, even with the cut in pay."

"No… I don't think you understand Don Alejandro. At this point, I and every one of my men already owe the Señorita a month's pay on meals and drinks. Each! So far, we had an understanding with her that we would pay at least one week back each Monday, so that we are never more than a month late with the payment. We already leave everything we have at the tavern! If our salaries are cut in half, we won't be able to pay more than half a month. And what about the other two weeks? We will starve!"

"But, Sergeant, if that is so, wouldn't it be wiser if you ate just once a day here, so that your debt would be halved?" Diego pointed out.

"And you can always share the wine or switch to lemonade and make some economies that way, as well." Don Alejandro also contributed.

"Victoria and Pilar do make a wonderful lemonade." Diego agreed.

"I never thought of it that way… I guess I can live with only one meal at the tavern… We will probably be on patrol the rest of the day anyway." Mendoza replied pensively.

"See, Sergeant? No reason to worry so much. There's a solution to every problem. And, for tonight, we'd be more than happy to have you as our guest for your meal. You can start saving the money you owe Victoria."

"Gracias, Don Diego!" Mendoza said with a smile as the tall caballero was gesturing to Ramon to bring them three portions of whatever Victoria had made for dinner.

"But, tell me, Sergeant, what is the reason behind this renewed urgency for capturing Zorro?" Diego inquired casually.

"Well, I can tell you because you are mi amigos… but you must not tell anyone else!" Mendoza uttered, getting a bit closer to the two De la Vegas in an effort to avoid being overheard. "It's because the governor is sending a special investigator to investigate certain… rumors about the Alcalde. He believes it's because of Zorro, but I think it's because of that gambler who caused trouble here a few weeks back. The one who shot Señorita Escalante," he uttered as Ramon placed the plates of arroz con pollo in front of them. The younger man smiled and headed back towards the kitchen.

"Bishop? And why do you think that?" Diego wondered.

"Because it says in the letter he had received that the investigator is coming to check allegations into the support the Alcalde had granted to criminal elements. And we all know he has never supported Zorro!"

"Ha! Support Zorro! I should just go to our esteemed Luis Ramone and inform him that I had sent the letter to the Governor accusing him of misconduct!" Don Alejandro stated proudly.

"I also did that! Send a letter, I mean. But I didn't sign it." Mendoza confessed, leaving the two men in front of him bewildered. "Don't look so surprised, amigos! I was in a bad mood. Being deprived of the Señorita's cooking can do that to a man. Even one as loyal as I!"

"That is perfectly understandable, Sergeant, especially considering everyone knows where your loyalties lie." Diego smiled knowingly. "So, I guess the cut in pay is not helping the Alcalde's case…"

ZZZ

Felipe was carefully studying a pair of odd glasses as Diego came into the cave the following afternoon. The youngster dropped them at hearing his mentor and pretended to be sweeping the floor.

"Come! Let me show you, Felipe!" He said with a smile as he noticed the guilty expression on his ward's face and that the glasses had been moved since he'd last been in the cave. Picking them up he held them to the light. "I have been working on re-designing the colored glass I used to uncover the truth about that man the Alcalde had hired to pose as Zorro. Put them on!"

As he did as instructed, Felipe noticed how Diego's face slightly changed color and, looking towards his hands, he saw faint yellow traces, so he asked about them.

"I believe you might be seeing traces of a special ink I'm also designing to be used with the glasses."

Felipe made a face and Diego chuckled at his reaction. Asking for his glasses back, he put them on and went to take a quill and a sheet of paper. Dipping the quill in a translucent substance he kept in a small bottle, he proceeded to write on the paper, then showed it to Felipe.

The young man took a look, not seeing anything.

"Try now!" His mentor asked, handing him back the glasses.

Felipe put them on and was able to read the message 'Everything that is hidden will become clear' on the same sheet of paper which had previously seemed blank.

"The ink is invisible to the naked eye, but can be clearly seen when using a specific type of colored glasses." Diego stated when the youngster looked at him in wonder. "I believe it might have interesting applications in various fields. For research, when one doesn't want it to fall into the wrong hands, the military, for correspondence, for Victoria's secret recipes,… even Zorro might find a good use for it."

ZZZ

"It was him, I'm sure of it!" A private was telling Mendoza a few days later as he, the Sergeant, Corporal Sepulveda and another lancer sat on the tavern's porch, waiting for their meals.

"But what would Bishop be doing in San Pedro?" This question, posed by Sepulveda drew Ramon's attention. He was bringing their food and halted in the doorway to listen to more of their conversation.

"From what I was told, he managed to win a fortune from Don Alfredo. They say the poor man is now broke and had to hand over even the deed to his hacienda to that gambler."

"That was exactly what happened here to Don Carlos. But what is he doing in San Pedro? That is still the territory of Los Angeles… and Zorro told him he would kill him should he step foot anywhere near the pueblo."

"I guess he thought the port was far enough. And he's not staying. I heard he just got to San Pedro last week with a ship from Monterey. He already booked passage on another ship due to leave for South America the day after tomorrow, so he wants to sell the properties he won from Don Alfredo as soon as possible. They say Don Emiliano Carillo had already offered him ten thousand pesos for them."

A client lightly bumped into Ramon while exiting the tavern, pushing him out onto the terrace, so he put the meals in front of the lancers and returned inside.

Once there, he took a few minutes to think and headed for his room. He took one of his pistols, tucking it in his sash, hidden under his vest, then returned to the busy taproom. There, his eyes instantly fell on Felipe. The young man had just entered with a basket filled with oranges Don Alejandro had sent for Victoria.

"Felipe!" Greeted the youngest Escalante. "Just the man I wanted to see."

The youngster widened his eyes at the unexpected welcome he received. Being called a man, although he was just 16, also served in boosting a little his underdeveloped ego, making him more willing to please his interlocutor.

"I need to run an errand. Would you mind taking my place to help Victoria and Pilar with the lunch crowd? I don't want her overexerting herself, and I hardly trust many young men as much as I trust you. And, of course, I'll make sure you'll be properly compensated for your help."

Felipe gestured that he'd be glad to do it and there was no need for money, but Ramon only understood that he agreed.

"Thank you, Felipe! Keep an eye on Victoria, for me, alright? And, if something happens to me, tell her… Tell her it was my decision."

Alarm bells, just like the ones Diego had, only the previous week, installed in the cave, started ringing in Felipe's mind as the other man left. His instinct told him he had just made a mistake by agreeing to stay in Ramon's place. Wondering where he was going and what the reason behind his actions was, Felipe went to the kitchen to take the oranges and tell Victoria he was replacing her brother for the rest of the early afternoon.

"Where did he go?" The young woman asked. Felipe shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no idea. "Well… I guess I'll find out when he returns. Meanwhile, he was handling the terrace and the Sergeant asked for a pitcher of lemonade for him and his men. Would you mind taking it and the glasses to them?"

Felipe shook his head and rapidly took the indicated items, exiting the kitchen.

"I doubt Don Alfredo stands a chance" Mendoza was saying as the youngster brought the lancers their drinks. "He was never a good shot. Why would he challenge him?"

"He lost everything to the gambler, Sergeant! They say the man has incredible luck with the cards." The lancer said as Felipe was carefully listening while taking his time pouring the drinks. "And Don Alfredo never wanted Don Emiliano to get his hands on his land. That man is almost as bad as Bishop. I think he'd rather die than live with the consequences of having gambled everything away. So, since Bishop is due to leave San Pedro the day after tomorrow, the duel has been set for tomorrow morning."

Felipe pensively made his way back to the kitchen. Almost certain he knew where Ramon had gone, he pretended to have forgotten something Diego had asked him to do, apologized for leaving promising to return soon, and, a few minutes later, was on his way to the hacienda.

ZZZ

"So Bishop is in San Pedro, up to his usual tricks, and Don Alfredo is going to duel with him tomorrow morning." Diego interpreted as they were both descending the stairs to the cave.

Felipe nodded then restarted gesturing.

"And you believe Ramon is on his way to San Pedro to confront him for having shot Victoria?"

The youngster again confirmed that his message had been well understood.

"Ramon is his own man, and a pretty good shot from what I've seen. However, on this occasion, I believe he might be acting hastily. Actions done in anger often tend to turn against the one committing them." He said pensively.

Felipe drew a Z in the air.

"Yes, Felipe. I think Zorro will need to have a talk with our friend, before he does something we'll all regret."

ZZZ

It was just still an hour to siesta when a black-clad man caught up with a very determined Ramon Escalante.

"Ramon!" He called, and the other man turned back with a startle.

"Zorro! What are you doing here?" He asked as he stopped his horse.

"I know what you are planning, amigo. It is a bad idea."

"How… Never mind… Zorro, he almost killed my sister. He certainly killed Don Carlos, and might have killed Don Alejandro. Now he's doing the same to Don Alfredo. I need to see this through."

"So what is your plan? If you go to the tavern and shoot him, you'll be accused of murder. Is that what you want? For Victoria to witness the execution of yet another member of her family?"

Ramon had not prepared an answer to that. "I'll challenge him to a duel in that case!"

"If you do, he'll get the first shot and you'll never get your chance to fire at him. Bishop will win and Victoria will still lose her brother."

"What will you have me do, then?"

Zorro had thought about it for the entire ride there, and he believed he had the answer.

"Find a way to give Bishop a lesson he will never forget." He replied, puzzling Ramon. "The man's game is poker and poker, as we all know, is a game of chance. Nobody can be as lucky as Bishop at it, unless he is cheating. All we need is to find out how exactly he is doing that, and we can take him for all he's got… and get him arrested in the process. Let the justice system make him pay for his crimes!"

"That sounds like a good plan, but how exactly are we supposed to put it into practice?"

"I've been thinking about that. During his visit to Los Angeles, it struck me as odd that the man wore glasses whenever he was playing cards for big sums, but not when he was reading or when no high stake was involved. Neither was he wearing them when he was about to duel with Don Alejandro. Which makes me wonder… Here's what I need you to do…" Zorro said as he proceeded in explaining to the young Escalante his plan.

Ramon returned about an hour later and handed Zorro four cards. The masked man took them and asked him to discretely monitor the tavern in San Pedro, then meet him at the same location at nine in the evening.

ZZZ

"You were right to warn me, Felipe." Diego said as the youngster entered the cave an hour later, just as he was checking the playing cards. "He had no plan, and would have tried to kill Bishop without considering the consequences."

The boy asked what he was doing, and if he managed to dissuade Ramon.

"More or less. Ramon is in San Pedro, keeping an eye on the tavern. It was the only way I could stop him from what he was about to do. Now, I was just trying to see if my intuition was correct, and the man truly is cheating. What did I find out? For one, that my trick with the invisible ink and glasses is not as innovative as I had thought. Take a look!" He asked, handing Felipe a slightly colored glass he kept in his hand. The boy looked through it to the back of the card, which was a five of diamonds and noticed it had the number five and a diamond drawn in every corner, all of which were only visible when looking at them with the slightly reddish, translucent glass. Diego gave him the other three cards, as well, and he noticed he could read on their back what each card had written on the front, but only with the help of the glass.

"This is how he manages to win so easily. He knows the others' cards. What are we going to do? When you deal with a cheater, the easiest way to win is by playing by his rules. So, if Señor Bishop will cheat, so will we!" Diego said with a wicked smile, then took out a similar set of cards, his translucent ink, and started working on another ink able to mimic the properties of the one on the cards. "We just need a little more help… and I believe I know just the right person for it. Meanwhile, if you want to help, start working with the paste wax. We'll need to make quite a few jewels."

ZZZ

At 10:20 in the evening, a well-dressed, black-bearded man walked through the doors of the only tavern in the port of San Pedro, luggage in his hand. He had a large bag of money at his belt, a gold ring on one finger and a beautiful golden watch dangling, partly visible, attached to his vest. His face was mostly hidden behind his beard and a pair of huge glasses, but the absence of wrinkles on both his forehead and around his eyes betrayed him as a young man.

He looked around at the few customers, among which a group of three lancers who, instead of guarding the docks, were spending their time gossiping, wine glasses in hand. After asking for a room and generously paying the innkeeper's youngest son to take his luggage there, he ordered the most expensive bottle of Madeira of the house, then sat at a table.

The tavern owner, Señor Portolla, returned from the kitchen a few minutes later with a bottle and left it on his table.

"You call this Madeira? It barely even reminds one of alcohol!" He told the innkeeper.

"It's the best wine you will find around here, Señor!" The man replied, seemingly offended. "If you do not like it, I will gladly get you some tequila."

"If that's my choice, I'll stick with the wine. But bring another. I doubt I'll even feel this one by the time I finish the bottle!"

Bishop was at the bar, glancing towards the stranger from time to time, while savoring his own glass of tequila. When the new arrival was, as he believed, on his second bottle, he made his way towards him, introducing himself, asking if he could tempt him with a friendly game of poker and pretending to be bored.

"I am Don Emilio Santiago Alonso Garibaldi." The man replied with an air of superiority, refusing to shake the hand Bishop had offered. "And I don't play poker just to play!"

Zorro, who was watching the scene from behind the door of an empty room in the tavern smiled at his perfect rendition of a privileged, drunken man.

"For money, then?" Bishop asked with a hyena smile.

"You don't look like you have money!" The man protested.

"You are mistaken, my friend! You see, I am the current owner of the Ranch Dos Molinas, situated just a mile from here."

"You don't look like a don either!"

"I just recently came into its possession. It is worth over 20,000 pesos."

"That's almost as much as I have!" The man stated enthusiastically. "However, most of my money is in emeralds." He continued, taking out a small velvet bag from his coat and pulling out a large green stone from it. "Easier to carry this way. They are estimated at a little over 20,000 pesos."

"Come, let's play some games, then. I only met poor vaqueros here today, and I am getting quite bored of losing to them."

"You lost to vaqueros? You have no chance against me, in that case!"

"We'll see. Perhaps my luck will change."

"How much do you want to bet?"

"As I said. I have a fortune of 20,000, and I like to gamble."

"Twenty coins, then, for each of us, every one due to represent one thousand pesos?" The man suggested.

"My thoughts exactly!" Bishop replied as they both handed their money and deeds to the tavern owner, who rapidly offered to act as guarantor.

The other people in the taproom started gathering around them when hearing what a fabulous sum was at stake.

"I don't mind doubling my capital!" The fake drunkard uttered with a dumb smile.

"Let's play in that case, my friend!" Bishop decided as he took out a deck of cards and put on a pair of slightly colored glasses.


	3. Chapter 3

The first two games were easily won by the stranger, whom Bishop wanted to become confident in his luck. The man thus managed to relieve him of 6,000 thousand pesos. The next three games, with stakes of 10,000 pesos, 5,000 advanced by each of the players, ended with Bishop's win.

"I've never seen such a change in luck," the bearded man exclaimed. "Perhaps there's a trick I can't see. Considering the stakes, I hope you'd not oppose if the señor here," he pointed at the innkeeper "inspected the cards, and deal from now on?" he suggested. "I'd do it myself, but I seem to have some problems seeing well…"

The gambler agreed to give Señor Portolla the cards, looking at his opponent with his hyena smile.

At the same time Zorro went to his room's window, lighted a string of firecrackers, threw them in the street below, then returned to the slightly opened door before they went off.

The tavern owner took the deck of cards and inspected them for markings, looking at them in the light as he stood up. At that moment, what sounded like gunfire was heard from the street. Everyone turned towards the door, and the lancers hurried out, just as Señor Portolla switched the deck of cards with another he had with him, hidden in hid vest.

After the lancers returned with news that there was no danger, "just some damn kids disturbing the peace by playing with firecrackers", the tavern owner declared himself satisfied that the cards had no visible markings, and, after each player advanced the 1,000 pesos 'ante', started distributing them between the two players.

The newcomer defiantly placed the cards face down in front of him, without turning them to have a look, glanced towards the deck, and pretended to guess which one to change. Bishop smiled and did the same.

"One card." The bearded man asked as he chose the last one he had been handed, and which the gambler was certain to be a 6 of diamonds. He took the card offered to him, again avoiding to turn it to look at it as he stared defiantly at his opponent, and added it to the other ones he had spread, face down, on the table.

Also asking for only one card, Bishop selected the one in the middle. As per what he could see using his glasses, the stranger had only one pair of 6s while, after the exchange, he had three of a kind.

"15,000 in!" The bearded man said as he wiped some nonexistent sweat from his forehead and took off his jacket, leaving only his vest on.

Don Alfredo, who had received an anonymous message to be there, walked through the door.

The man must be a stupid idiot. Bishop thought as one of his face muscles drew up half of his right lip, giving the stranger a preview of his canine tooth.

Taking some time to appear undecided, he met the sum and raised it by the four thousand pesos he had won from his adversary. The other man took a long look at the cards on the table, then met the new sum and raised it by his last 2,000 pesos.

Bishop was certain he was going to win, so he reached into his jacket and took out the moneybag containing all his remaining money, adding it to the pile.

"Two thousand seventy pesos." He said as everybody in the tavern held their breaths.

The bearded man took out his gold ring, putting it on top of Bishop's moneybag.

"Call." He uttered as he did so, and someone from the crowd protested that the ring was worth more than 70 pesos, but he ignored him.

Nobody even questioned his decision to give up his ring instead of taking the sum from the money bag he had on him or, if they did, they probably assumed he was too drunk to remember it.

As they turned the cards on the table, Bishop gasped as he realized his cards were not as he had thought, and he only had a pair of 8s while his adversary had four of a kind. He had lost.

"That's not possible!" The gambler protested as people in the tavern started applauding.

"Looks like your luck has just run out, Señor!" The other man replied with a smile as he gathered his winnings, and Bishop realized he was, by no means, drunk, as he had believed him to be.

"But… But, this is impossible!" Bishop uttered as he took a look at his cards, flipping them on both sides. "The markings on these cards are wrong. I saw very clearly that you only had a pair of 6s! You cheated!" Bishop accused, throwing the cards on the table, but immediately repented as everyone had heard his implied confession.

"Just because you cheat, it doesn't mean others do, as well!" Zorro uttered as he jumped over the rails of the second floor and straight behind Bishop, sword in hand.

Bishop turned around with a startle, the lancers and everyone else in the tavern stood up, all attention on the black-clad man, but nobody dared raise a weapon against the legendary outlaw. In the distraction, Señor Portolla gathered all the cards and again switched the decks, hiding the one he had just recovered in his vest and leaving the other one on the table.

"Allow me, Gentlemen, to explain exactly how it is that Señor Bishop had such a streak of good fortune at cards!" Zorro offered. "You see, Señores, as he had just confessed, his cards were all marked with a special ink, invisible to the naked eye, but clearly visible when using the pair of glasses the distinguished señor here is wearing. Corporal," he addressed one of the lancers in the tavern "take Señor Bishop's glasses and look at the back of the cards, then tell me what you see!"

The man did as Zorro had asked and, checking the deck of cards, confirmed that they all had red markings on them.

"But my glasses were wrong! He!" Bishop pointed at Señor Garibaldi "check his glasses! If I cheated, so did he!"

The bearded man handed the lancer his glasses.

"They are, indeed, strange glasses, but I can see no markings with them." The military man said.

Zorro smiled and addressed the haciendado who had spent that entire day convinced he had lost everything and would, most probably, die at dawn.

"Don Alfredo, since Señor Bishop cheated you out of your properties, I am sure Señor Garibaldi will be more than willing to return the deeds to your ranch to you." He stated as, to everyone's surprise, Señor Garibaldi handed him the documents with no protest. "You can also press charges against this man, Señor!" He continued, pointing towards the gambler.

"And I will insist you do!" A man made his way through the crowd. "My name is Lieutenant Fernando Fonzi, and I was sent here exactly for this man. He has been cheating good people all over Alta California, and the Governor entrusted me to find out how, who his accomplices have been all this time, and to place him under arrest for his crimes. I doubt he'll ever see the light of day again! Private, cuff him!" He ordered the soldier.

Seeing himself about to be arrested, Bishop took advantage of the fact that Zorro's sword was no longer pointed at him and bolted for the door, throwing several people into each other and on the floor as he did so. Exiting the tavern, Zorro and the lancers on his heels, he stumbled on some packs deposited next to the entrance and fell, hitting his head on an iron dock mooring cleat.

A lancer went to check his pulse. "He's dead," he told the people who had, meanwhile, also followed him and the other uniformed men outside.

"In that case, justice is done." The Lieutenant pronounced as he ordered the privates to take away the body. "Too bad he will never be able to give testimony against those who have helped him. I understand he could have made a great case against the Alcalde of Los Angeles."

"Can't win them all, I suppose." Zorro sighed, realizing he had just missed the opportunity to get rid of Luis Ramone.

"Señor Zorro," the Lieutenant addressed him "since you helped stop a criminal who had caused the death of at least three dons, including a close friend of the Governor, I will ignore, this time, the warrant for your arrest. Have a good night, Señores!" He added as he followed the lancers who had already taken the dead body and were carrying it towards the small garrison in the port.

"I also have a great debt to you, Señor Zorro, and to you, Señor Garibaldi!" Don Alfonso stated.

"You are most welcome, Don Alfredo, but we couldn't have done it without the help of Señor Portolla." Zorro stated as the innkeeper grinned at him.

"But how did you do it?" The haciendado asked.

"You should know better than to ask a magician to reveal his tricks!" Zorro replied and the Don agreed with a smile. "I hope you've learned your lesson from all this, and never again will you risk your life and the wellbeing of the people who depend on you by repeating your mistake."

"I will not, Señor Zorro!" Don Alfredo confirmed. "Thank you, again, to all of you!"

ZZZ

"You played a good game, my friend!" Zorro mentioned some fifteen minutes later as Señor Garibaldi handed the small bag of fake emeralds, the ring, the watch and the bag of money back to Zorro. He then proceeded to change his clothes and removed his false beard to re-become Ramon Escalante.

"Zorro, how did you know Señor Portolla would help?" The younger man asked.

"Don Carlos was his godfather. He dared not take action against Bishop all by himself, but I knew he'd be more than happy to help take him down."

"I must say I enjoyed seeing that man lose. His death, though, gave me no satisfaction. But you knew that, didn't you?"

"Taking a life is a heavy burden on one's soul, Ramon. I pray you never have to carry it." The black-clad man uttered as they both mounted their horses, heading for Los Angeles.

"Now, only one problem remains."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"What do I do with the money I have won from Bishop?" Ramon replied, taking out the bag containing the 2070 pesos.

"I guess that's up to you, Ramon. But I do have an idea about how to use a small portion of it, should you wish to do so." Zorro answered as Tornado trotted away with Ramon's horse on his heels.

ZZZ

"MENDOZAAAAA!" Luis Ramone was heard shouting from his office and all across the plaza to the tavern.

The lancer gulped and, after saying "Adios, amigos!" to Ramon, Don Alejandro and Diego, with whom he was sharing a table at the time, hurried to answer the call.

"Si, Alcalde!" He answered as he entered the office.

"What day is today, Mendoza?"

"Today? Today is Wednesday, mi Alcalde!"

"Yes. But what date is it?"

"Well… It says right there, August the 18th."

"And what were you supposed to do by today, Sergeant?"

"Ah… I was supposed to… capture Zorro. But Alcalde, Zorro is impossible to track, and he hasn't been to the pueblo since he dealt with Bishop!"

"I don't care, Sergeant! From this day on, your pay and the pay of your men is cut in half!"

"But, Alcalde!" The Sergeant lamented.

"No buts! I will only raise your pay back when you'll have captured that brigand! Now, OUT, Mendoza!"

"The economies will not go very far but will, at least, help buy me that new sword I want." Luis Ramone uttered just for himself, with a wicked smile, after Mendoza exited his office. He then headed for his desk and sat down, taking a second, satisfied look at the letter he had received informing him that the investigator was no longer to come to Los Angeles.

Diego, Don Alejandro, Ramon and Victoria watched from the tavern's porch as the Sergeant was making his way back, head down, shoulders dropped. He was a sorry sight and even Don Alejandro felt pity for him.

"The Alcalde kept his word, I assume?" The tall caballero asked his friend.

"Si, Don Diego."

"Well, in that case, I know just what will cheer you up, Mendoza!" Victoria stated.

"A plate of tamales on the house, Señorita?"

"Even better. The knowledge that your debt and that of your men has been paid in full. You no longer owe me anything."

"Really, Señorita?"

"It's true!"

"But… who paid it?"

"I'm not sure. I only found the money and a note mentioning what it was for. It was signed by a Señor Garibaldi, but I know no one by that name."

"Me neither… So, if I buy lunch today, I can pay only the next month… as per our agreement, I mean… the one month advance?"

"We'd love to invite you, Sergeant!" Don Alejandro stated with a laugh as he put a hand on the man's shoulder and guided him inside the tavern. "You can start accumulating your debt again first thing tomorrow!"

"The Señorita does make some delicious huevos rancheros for breakfast…" Mendoza agreed.

ZZZ

"So, Ramon, ready for the long journey south?" Don Alejandro asked as the De la Vegas, accompanied by Felipe, came to say goodbye.

"I am, Don Alejandro!" He confirmed as he embraced his sister. "Especially knowing that the three of you, as well as Zorro will take good care of Victoria, just as you've always had."

"We'll do our best, Ramon," Diego confirmed.

"You know, I still wonder who might have told Zorro that I went after Bishop." Ramon mentioned as they were exiting the tavern. "I haven't told anyone. The only person who even knew I had left was Felipe."

"Zorro has his own way of always knowing what's going on in the pueblo." Diego offered an answer, trying to avoid having Ramon thinking too much about that one coincidence.

"Gracias a Dios for that! Who knows what would have happened otherwise?" Victoria said and Ramon hurriedly entered the stagecoach, looking to put some distance between himself and his sister's temper, on the wrong end of which he had been for the entire week since he was misguided enough to recount for her and the De la Vegas the entire adventure which ended up in Bishop's demise.

He waved his goodbyes as the stagecoach departed, and the people who had come to see him off did the same until the coach was no longer visible.

"You know, now that I think about it, Felipe did leave the tavern in a hurry that day when Ramon went after Bishop. As if he had an urgent errand… or…" Victoria uttered pensively.

"Ah… Yes. I believe it was when he remembered that I had asked him to fetch me some more green and yellow dye for the landscape I was working on. I had specifically told him I needed it very fast or the other strata would have dried and the entire thing would have been ruined. I was only lucky he arrived in time... Perhaps you would care to come for dinner tonight at the hacienda. It would be a great opportunity to show you the painting, and you could advise me on where to hang it." Diego explained quite convincingly.

Victoria looked at him a little suspiciously, then smiled as she, once more, dismissed the utterly absurd idea he might be Zorro which had, once again crossed her mind. "It will be my pleasure to help you in such an important endeavor, Diego." She answered, a little amused and a little sarcastically, turning on her heel and entering the taproom.

"Excellent!" He said, winking at Felipe as the three of them followed Victoria inside.


End file.
